Thursday, June 12, 2014

The most fashionable cities in the world? Sorry, you/we
don't live there, according to a survey condicted by VeryFirstToCom. on behalf
of A2B, a manufacturer of electric bikes. But Australia's
biggest city, Sydney
(shown above in an MCT photo by Tom Uhlenbrock), did.

All press release are sent by a firm, organization or cause wanting something. A2B is offering monthlong package trips to all these, electric bikes
included, for $134,000 per person, through the British travel company Colletts
Travel (www.collettscollection.com).

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

If you and your pooch have lived in your present home for a
while, you've undoubtedly met pet-owning neighbors while out for a walk.

And sooner or later, this topic always comes up: What do you
do with him/her when you go on vacation?

Sometimes you can work out a dog-tending arrangement: Watch
mine until next Wednesday and I'll repay the favor.

If nothing else, you could ask for a recommendation for a
close-by sitter or kennel they trust.

But even in the best possible situations, dog owners get
angst-y about leaving their pets with someone else.

Enter a new website called
DogVacay.

Go to their site -- http://dogvacay.com -- and type in your
city if it doesn't pop up automatically.
Add your start and stop dates and see the list of available sitters.

A map lets you scroll around to those who live closer to you
(if that's a concern).

Slide bars on the search page let you select your price range (starting
at $35 per day in our area).

Check-off boxes help refine your search:

* Host's home -- or yours?

* Host home without pets -- or with pets?

* Apartment or house?

* Small, medium or large outdoor area?

There's also a "special skills" option if you have
a special-needs dog:

* Certified for pet CPR or first-aid.

* Can administer oral medication?

* Can administer injected medication?

There are roughly 70 sitters ("hosts") available
now in the Charlotte
area; DogVacay has more than 10,000 nationwide, in roughly 2,500 cities.

Pet-owner reviews of their DogVacay experiences can be
posted at each sitter's information page.

Aspiring hosts go through a vetting process with DogVacay,
which says successful applicants must be passionate about dogs. There are
interviews. References are required. A spokesperson for California-based DogVacay said only 15
percent of host applicants are approved.

DogVacay includes dog insurance; there's also a 24-hour
customer service number either you or the sitter can call.

DogVacay takes 15 percent of the sitting fee.

You make reservations through the DogvVcay site, which also has "Propose a meet-and-greet" and "Ask host a question"
options if you want to go the extra step to make sure you've found the sitter
you want.

John Bordsen

About this blog

John Bordsen is the long-time travel editor of The Charlotte Observer. Before moving to Charlotte in 1989, he lived in Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas and Indiana. His articles and his "Foreign Correspondence" column -- interviews with people who live in countries you may want to visit, or are curious about -- are distributed nationally via the Tribune News Service.